Coalition launches campaign to help Valley residents use public transit

By Record Staff • December 28, 2021 5:30 am
Valley Shuttle. Photo courtesy of Snoqualmie Valley Transportation
Valley Shuttle. Photo courtesy of Snoqualmie Valley Transportation

In an effort to increase understanding of the various transportation options in the Snoqualmie Valley, the Snoqualmie Valley Mobility Coalition (SVMC) has launched the Coordinated Awareness Campaign.

The campaign looks to help those without a car, or those looking to drive less, by connecting them to the various options for transportation around the Valley. It is also intended to expand ridership of existing transit options.

“The Coordinated Awareness Campaign came out of the five year transit plan,” Salwa Raphael, the SVMC coordinator, said in a previous interview with the Valley Record. “It was identified early on the need to increase awareness for existing options. We moved forward this year by leveraging our relationships with cities and jurisdictions up and down the Valley.”

Residents can now go to FindARide.org — which recently expanded to the Snoqualmie Valley — to help find transportation. The website contains cumulative information about transportation and provides options for those who are disabled or low-income. Residents can also look to their local city’s website for a comprehensive list of transit services.

The Coordinated Awareness Campaign is the result of a partnership between SVMC, Valley cities and other organizations. SVMC is led by Hopelink Mobility Management, which convened in 2017 as a distinct sub-regional coalition to address the unique needs of the Snoqualmie Valley. The Coordinated Awareness Campaign is one of several projects that SVMC is working on to improve transportation in the Valley.

In addition to the campaign, in 2021, Hopelink received a grant to create the “One-Call/One-Click” system that will ease the process of getting from place to place not only in the Snoqualmie Valley, but the Central Puget Sound. With user testing expected to begin next summer, the system will make it possible for anyone who needs to get from one location to another in the Central Puget Sound area to connect directly with travel options through a number of different platforms — including a call center, website and apps.

For more information, visit kcmobility.org/svmc.